Eunotosaurus africanus Seeley, 1892
Reptilia
Lepidosauromorpha
Pantestudines
Middle Permian
Middle Abrahamskraal Fm, Tapinocephalus a. z. (Capitanian)
South Africa
Length: 30 cm
Eunotosaurus had a peculiar broad and stiffened body formed by very wide and partially overlapping ribs. This characteristic and others such as the structure and number of vertebrae place Eunotosaurus close to the ancestry of turtles. The enlarged ribs were apparently an adaptation for a fossorial (burrowing) habit, rather than a protection against predators.
References:
Rubidge, B. S., Modesto, S., Sidor, C., & Welman, J. (1999). Eunotosaurus africanus from the Ecca-Beaufort contact in Northern Cape Province, South Africa-implications for Karoo basin development. South African Journal of Science, 95(11/12), 553-554.
Lyson, T. R., Bever, G. S., Scheyer, T. M., Hsiang, A. Y., & Gauthier, J. A. (2013). Evolutionary origin of the turtle shell. Current Biology, 23(12), 1113-1119.
Lyson, T. R., Rubidge, B. S., Scheyer, T. M., de Queiroz, K., Schachner, E. R., Smith, R. M., ... & Bever, G. S. (2016). Fossorial origin of the turtle shell. Current Biology, 26(14), 1887-1894.
June 17, 2017
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